Population of South Asia(Human geography) World Population Density Map
Look at the map above. You could notice that the overall color of region of South Asia is the darkest of all compared to other world regions. The region of South Asia is home to nearly 1.4 billion people, this number may rise to approximately 2 billion by 2025, more than any other world regions. Yet it is the smallest world region. This represents a major growth in numbers of people in South Asia when the region has few current means of supporting them better levels of life quality.
These are the population pyramids for all countries located in South Asia:
All of these population pyramids of countries in South Asia have similar patterns except the ones of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. For the most of population pyramids, the ages 0-4 and 5-9 seem to have the largest number of people among all other ages. The pyramid decreases as the ages get older. All of the population pyramids except Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are rapid growth population pyramid. For the population pyramids of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, ages 20-24 seem to dominate the others.
Physical Geography Climate
The monsoon climate is the most important fact to remember when referring to the climate of South Asia; the monsoon climate of South Asia brings heavy summer rain over much of the areas in South Asia but little rain at other times of the year. During the winter season of the dry monsoon, the Himalayan Mountains cut off South Asia from Central Asia and its cold, freezing air. South Asia maintains its warm weather as winds flow outward from high pressure over the northwest. Only some parts of South Asia such as northern Sri Lanka and southeastern India rain at this season. As the land warms in early summer, temperature of South Asia become increasingly hot and air rises,lowering atmospheric pressure. When it is wet monsoon season which breaks in June or July, the winds change direction into the low atmospheric pressure area. Winds coming from the Indian Ocean bring moisture, which causes heavy rainfall on the western coastal mountains of the peninsula. Precipitation takes place as snow at high elevations on the Himalayas. The monsoon rains miss most of the northwestern parts of South Asia, including countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan which remain dry for the year, forming one of the world's major arid regions, the Great Indian Desert.
These are major factors affecting the climate of South Asia:
1. Location
Tropic of Cancer separates India into subtropical North and tropical South. Northernmost part of the subcontinent is occupied by high mountains. Places located north of Tropic of Cancer has extreme type of climate. Three sides of Southern peninsula are surrounded by sea, which make it to have moderate climate. The coastal regions has equable climate in general, and the temperature increases from north to south.
2. Influence of Hills and Mountains
Himalaya Mountains takes a important role in lending a sub-tropical climate. Himalaya mountains are barriers that separates the region of South Asia from rest of Asia. Also the mountains prevents cold winds of North and Central Asia from blowing into the south. They trap monsoon winds, forcing them to shed the moisture within the region. That is the reason why Indo-Gangetic regions receive heavy rainfalls while central Asia lies on the 'rainshadow' of the Himalayas. Also hills such as Aravalli hills and hills of Assam contribute to the climates of South Asia; Aravalli hills runs parallel to the direction of the south-west monsoon winds. As these winds pass through Rajasthan(region in India) without shedding the moisture, so it remains dry. Hills of Southern Assam force the moisture-laden winds reaching from the Bay of Bengal. Therefore, Assam gets heavy rainfall while the north is dry compared to the south.
3. Distance from the sea
Large coastal areas of South Asia have an equable climate because of the effect of land breeze and sea breeze, which is caused by the different rate of heating and cooling of land and sea. Therefore, the interior side of the region located too far to be influenced by the sea has an extreme climate.
Vegetation
Basically there are five kinds of of vegetation in South Asia: tropical rainforest, tropical grassland and savanna, desert, semi-desert, and tundra. Within the tropical zone of South Asia, the most forests are located, especially the western coast of India and southern Bangladesh. Lush rain forests of teak, ebony, and bamboo are mostly found there, along in the delta areas. In the highland zone, including northern India, Nepal, and Bhutan, there are forests that provide pine, fir, and other evergreens. The river valleys and the humid subtropical zone have forests of mainly sal, oak and various palms. In the semi-arid areas of South Asia. The main plants are desert shrubs and grasses. The tropical wet and dry areas of South Asia have both grasslands and trees.
Landforms:
Mountains:
South Asia has world's highest mountains and deep valleys. The most noticeable feature of South Asia is the Himalaya mountains. The Himalayas were formed 50 millions ago, forming the northern borders of the region. The Himalayas include Mount Everest (8,850m), the world's highest mountain. Also there are Hindu Kush mountains, located along the western end of the Himalayas, providing a barrier between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Also there is Khyber pass, which is the traditional route of invasion for people from Alexander the Great to the British. Other mountain ranges include Vindhya and Western and Eastern Ghats. The Deccan Plateau lies in the middle of them.
The Himalayas:
Hindu Kush Mountains
Khyber Pass
Rivers:
There are three main rivers in South Asia: the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra. All these three rivers lay between the Himalayas and the peninsular plateaus; They cross a wide lowland zone, which is formed by their deposits. The melting snows from the Himalaya and the monsoon rains combine in powerful flood flows in these three rivers.
Human Geography The Artifacts of South Asia (man made structures)
Taj Mahal (India)
Pakistan Monument
A temple in Kathmandu (Nepal)
Bangladesh Mosque
Economy
First of all, Sri Lanka has the highest GDP per capita in the region of South Asia, while Nepal and Afghanistan have the lowest. India has the major economy in the region; India is the world's twelfth largest purchasing power on exchange rates. The second-largest economy in South Asia is Pakistan and it has the third highest GDP per capita in the region, followed by Bangladesh. South Asia is the least integrated region, for trade between South Asian countries takes only 2% of the region's whole GDP, compared to 20% in Asia.
As shown on the second chart, spending priorities for countries varied; most of the countries spend most of their money on debt service. And interestingly, the only country that spends most money on education was Bhutan. The reason why the countries like Pakistan and Sri Lanka have high military spending is due to their relationship with India. The current economy in South Asia is inferior compared to other regions in the world, but new policies in South Asia encourage their economic development.
Language
Afghanistan:
Afghan-Persian 50%, Pashto 35%, Turkic languages 11% Bangladesh:
Bangla, Urdu, English Bhutan:
Dzongkha, Tibetan/Nepali dialects India:
Hindi 40%, 14 official regional languages, English Maldives:
Divehi, English Nepal:
Nepali, 20 official regional languages, English Pakistan:
Urdu, English, Punjabi, Sindhi Sri Lanka:
Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, English
Various kinds of language are used in South Asia; Most of the countries have their own domestic language. Some countries have over 10 official languages, for example, Nepal and India. These days, countries in South Asia began to learn the world language English.
Religion
Afghanistan:
Sunni Muslim 84%, Shia Muslim 15% (99 % Islam) Bangladesh:
Muslim 88% Hindu 10% Bhutan:
Lamaistic Buddhist 75% Hindu 25% India:
Hindu 82% Muslim 12% Christian 2% Sikh 1% Maldives:
Sunni Muslim 99% Nepal:
Hindu 90% Buddhist 5% Muslim 3% Pakistan:
Sunni Muslim 77% Shia Muslim 20% (97% Islam) Sri Lanka:
Buddhist 69% Hindu 15% Christian 8%
Major religions in South Asia:
Hinduism
Around 1200, the Indo-Aryans brought traditional myths and gods as they invaded Indian peninsula. These ideas of traditional myths and gods eventually formed the belief called Hinduism, based on the Sanskrit Vedas, known as one of the world's greatest religious literature. Hinduism recognizes millions of gods although local groups often accept only one of them as dominant, and incorporates beliefs of reincarnation. Hinduism influenced India's social structure system, the caste system which is divided into five classes: brahmains, Kshatriyas, Vaishayas, Shudras, and untouchables. Two countries in South Asia that has Hinduism as their major religion are India and Nepal. More than 80% of the Indian population is categorized as Hindu and nearly 90% of Nepal's population is classified as Hindu.
Buddhism
Buddhism and Jainism were established near the Ganges River valley in the 500s B.C, after Hinduism flourished over the land of South Asia. Even Buddha began life as a Hindu; an early attraction of his teachings was the rejection of the many of Hindu gods. Buddha didn't favor the unequal, rigid caste system and believed in greater social mobility. However, the previous dominance of Islam compelled Buddhists to move of the Indian mainland, converting many people in Sri Lanka, which led them to spread their faith eastward and into Southeast and East Asia.
Islam
Muslims invaded the Indus and Ganges Plains in the A.D. 1100s and tried to spread Muslim beliefs. However, the time when Mughal dynasty extended Muslim beliefs to the rest of the region of South Asia was 1500s. Through the religion Islam, regions like India had developments in architecture; places like Taj Mahal is one of the examples of Mughal buildings built in the 1600s. Muslims are divided into two: Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims. These two Muslims are rivals; Shia Islam holds that Mohammad's son-in-law, Ali, was the rightful heir to the empire, based on Mohammad's comments on Ali. In contrast, Sunnis, though they hold Ali in high esteem, do not believe that he and his hereditary line are the chosen successors. Even though they share the fundamental Islamic beliefs and articles of faith, they have political differences. Politics
Government systems of countries in South Asia: India:
Federal Republic Nepal:
Republic Pakistan:
Parliamentary republic/ federal democratic republic Bhutan:
Constitutional democratic monarchy Sri Lanka:
Democratic Socialists Republic Bangladesh:
Parliamentary republic Maldives:
Presidential republic
Types of cities There were four types of cities that we learned in class: Cosmic City, Commercial City, Colonial City, and Sacred City
Countries in South Asia include these cities: Commercial City - Calcutta in India Colonial City - Mumbai in India Sacred City -Varanasi in India
World Population Density Map
Look at the map above. You could notice that the overall color of region of South Asia is the darkest of all compared to other world regions. The region of South Asia is home to nearly 1.4 billion people, this number may rise to approximately 2 billion by 2025, more than any other world regions. Yet it is the smallest world region. This represents a major growth in numbers of people in South Asia when the region has few current means of supporting them better levels of life quality.
These are the population pyramids for all countries located in South Asia:
All of these population pyramids of countries in South Asia have similar patterns except the ones of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. For the most of population pyramids, the ages 0-4 and 5-9 seem to have the largest number of people among all other ages. The pyramid decreases as the ages get older. All of the population pyramids except Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are rapid growth population pyramid. For the population pyramids of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, ages 20-24 seem to dominate the others.
Physical Geography
Climate
The monsoon climate is the most important fact to remember when referring to the climate of South Asia ; the monsoon climate of South Asia brings heavy summer rain over much of the areas in South Asia but little rain at other times of the year. During the winter season of the dry monsoon, the Himalayan Mountains cut off South Asia from Central Asia and its cold, freezing air. South Asia maintains its warm weather as winds flow outward from high pressure over the northwest. Only some parts of South Asia such as northern Sri Lanka and southeastern India rain at this season. As the land warms in early summer, temperature of South Asia become increasingly hot and air rises,lowering atmospheric pressure. When it is wet monsoon season which breaks in June or July, the winds change direction into the low atmospheric pressure area. Winds coming from the Indian Ocean bring moisture, which causes heavy rainfall on the western coastal mountains of the peninsula. Precipitation takes place as snow at high elevations on the Himalayas. The monsoon rains miss most of the northwestern parts of South Asia, including countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan which remain dry for the year, forming one of the world's major arid regions, the Great Indian Desert.
These are major factors affecting the climate of South Asia:
1. Location
Tropic of Cancer separates India into subtropical North and tropical South. Northernmost part of the subcontinent is occupied by high mountains. Places located north of Tropic of Cancer has extreme type of climate. Three sides of Southern peninsula are surrounded by sea, which make it to have moderate climate. The coastal regions has equable climate in general, and the temperature increases from north to south.
2. Influence of Hills and Mountains
Himalaya Mountains takes a important role in lending a sub-tropical climate. Himalaya mountains are barriers that separates the region of South Asia from rest of Asia. Also the mountains prevents cold winds of North and Central Asia from blowing into the south. They trap monsoon winds, forcing them to shed the moisture within the region. That is the reason why Indo-Gangetic regions receive heavy rainfalls while central Asia lies on the 'rainshadow' of the Himalayas. Also hills such as Aravalli hills and hills of Assam contribute to the climates of South Asia; Aravalli hills runs parallel to the direction of the south-west monsoon winds. As these winds pass through Rajasthan(region in India) without shedding the moisture, so it remains dry. Hills of Southern Assam force the moisture-laden winds reaching from the Bay of Bengal. Therefore, Assam gets heavy rainfall while the north is dry compared to the south.
3. Distance from the sea
Large coastal areas of South Asia have an equable climate because of the effect of land breeze and sea breeze, which is caused by the different rate of heating and cooling of land and sea. Therefore, the interior side of the region located too far to be influenced by the sea has an extreme climate.
Vegetation
Basically there are five kinds of of vegetation in South Asia: tropical rainforest, tropical grassland and savanna, desert, semi-desert, and tundra. Within the tropical zone of South Asia, the most forests are located, especially the western coast of India and southern Bangladesh. Lush rain forests of teak, ebony, and bamboo are mostly found there, along in the delta areas. In the highland zone, including northern India, Nepal, and Bhutan, there are forests that provide pine, fir, and other evergreens. The river valleys and the humid subtropical zone have forests of mainly sal, oak and various palms. In the semi-arid areas of South Asia. The main plants are desert shrubs and grasses. The tropical wet and dry areas of South Asia have both grasslands and trees.
Landforms:
Mountains:
South Asia has world's highest mountains and deep valleys. The most noticeable feature of South Asia is the Himalaya mountains. The Himalayas were formed 50 millions ago, forming the northern borders of the region. The Himalayas include Mount Everest (8,850m), the world's highest mountain. Also there are Hindu Kush mountains, located along the western end of the Himalayas, providing a barrier between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Also there is Khyber pass, which is the traditional route of invasion for people from Alexander the Great to the British. Other mountain ranges include Vindhya and Western and Eastern Ghats. The Deccan Plateau lies in the middle of them.
The Himalayas:
Hindu Kush Mountains
Khyber Pass
Rivers:
There are three main rivers in South Asia: the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra. All these three rivers lay between the Himalayas and the peninsular plateaus; They cross a wide lowland zone, which is formed by their deposits. The melting snows from the Himalaya and the monsoon rains combine in powerful flood flows in these three rivers.
Human Geography
The Artifacts of South Asia (man made structures)
Taj Mahal (India)
Pakistan Monument
A temple in Kathmandu (Nepal)
Bangladesh Mosque
Economy
First of all, Sri Lanka has the highest GDP per capita in the region of South Asia, while Nepal and Afghanistan have the lowest. India has the major economy in the region; India is the world's twelfth largest purchasing power on exchange rates. The second-largest economy in South Asia is Pakistan and it has the third highest GDP per capita in the region, followed by Bangladesh. South Asia is the least integrated region, for trade between South Asian countries takes only 2% of the region's whole GDP, compared to 20% in Asia.
As shown on the second chart, spending priorities for countries varied; most of the countries spend most of their money on debt service. And interestingly, the only country that spends most money on education was Bhutan. The reason why the countries like Pakistan and Sri Lanka have high military spending is due to their relationship with India. The current economy in South Asia is inferior compared to other regions in the world, but new policies in South Asia encourage their economic development.
Language
Afghanistan:
Afghan-Persian 50%, Pashto 35%, Turkic languages 11%
Bangladesh:
Bangla, Urdu, English
Bhutan:
Dzongkha, Tibetan/Nepali dialects
India:
Hindi 40%, 14 official regional languages, English
Maldives:
Divehi, English
Nepal:
Nepali, 20 official regional languages, English
Pakistan:
Urdu, English, Punjabi, Sindhi
Sri Lanka:
Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, English
Various kinds of language are used in South Asia; Most of the countries have their own domestic language. Some countries have over 10 official languages, for example, Nepal and India. These days, countries in South Asia began to learn the world language English.
Religion
Afghanistan:
Sunni Muslim 84%, Shia Muslim 15% (99 % Islam)
Bangladesh:
Muslim 88% Hindu 10%
Bhutan:
Lamaistic Buddhist 75% Hindu 25%
India:
Hindu 82% Muslim 12% Christian 2% Sikh 1%
Maldives:
Sunni Muslim 99%
Nepal:
Hindu 90% Buddhist 5% Muslim 3%
Pakistan:
Sunni Muslim 77% Shia Muslim 20% (97% Islam)
Sri Lanka:
Buddhist 69% Hindu 15% Christian 8%
Major religions in South Asia:
Hinduism
Around 1200, the Indo-Aryans brought traditional myths and gods as they invaded Indian peninsula. These ideas of traditional myths and gods eventually formed the belief called Hinduism, based on the Sanskrit Vedas, known as one of the world's greatest religious literature. Hinduism recognizes millions of gods although local groups often accept only one of them as dominant, and incorporates beliefs of reincarnation. Hinduism influenced India's social structure system, the caste system which is divided into five classes: brahmains, Kshatriyas, Vaishayas, Shudras, and untouchables. Two countries in South Asia that has Hinduism as their major religion are India and Nepal. More than 80% of the Indian population is categorized as Hindu and nearly 90% of Nepal's population is classified as Hindu.
Buddhism
Buddhism and Jainism were established near the Ganges River valley in the 500s B.C, after Hinduism flourished over the land of South Asia. Even Buddha began life as a Hindu; an early attraction of his teachings was the rejection of the many of Hindu gods. Buddha didn't favor the unequal, rigid caste system and believed in greater social mobility. However, the previous dominance of Islam compelled Buddhists to move of the Indian mainland, converting many people in Sri Lanka, which led them to spread their faith eastward and into Southeast and East Asia.
Islam
Muslims invaded the Indus and Ganges Plains in the A.D. 1100s and tried to spread Muslim beliefs. However, the time when Mughal dynasty extended Muslim beliefs to the rest of the region of South Asia was 1500s. Through the religion Islam, regions like India had developments in architecture; places like Taj Mahal is one of the examples of Mughal buildings built in the 1600s. Muslims are divided into two: Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims. These two Muslims are rivals; Shia Islam holds that Mohammad's son-in-law, Ali, was the rightful heir to the empire, based on Mohammad's comments on Ali. In contrast, Sunnis, though they hold Ali in high esteem, do not believe that he and his hereditary line are the chosen successors. Even though they share the fundamental Islamic beliefs and articles of faith, they have political differences.
Politics
Government systems of countries in South Asia:
India:
Federal Republic
Nepal:
Republic
Pakistan:
Parliamentary republic/ federal democratic republic
Bhutan:
Constitutional democratic monarchy
Sri Lanka:
Democratic Socialists Republic
Bangladesh:
Parliamentary republic
Maldives:
Presidential republic
Types of cities
There were four types of cities that we learned in class:
Cosmic City, Commercial City, Colonial City, and Sacred City
Countries in South Asia include these cities:
Commercial City - Calcutta in India
Colonial City - Mumbai in India
Sacred City -Varanasi in India
Works Cited
"Vegetation in South Asia." Gloster n. pag. Web. 4 Nov 2009. <http://workman.glogster.com/Vegetation-in-South-Asia/>.
Ewert, Dan. "24.1 South Asia Landforms and Resources." Slideshare n. pag. Web. 4 Nov 2009. <http://www.slideshare.net/dewertgeo/241-south-asia-landforms-and-resources-presentation>.
"Economy." South Asian n. pag. Web. 4 Nov 2009. <http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http:www.thesouthasian.org/archives/2004/images/economy_capita.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.thesouthasian.org/archives/2004/economic_indices_of_south_asia.html&usg=9Ria3J5Lbvo7tmUcd-UD_NPPDCE=&h=720&w=960&sz=47&hl=en&start=13&sig2=8Qy-KbAtklIFZvAX-vUhvA&um=1&tbnid=mxw4zSR21hlQvM:&tbnh=111&tbnw=148&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsouth%2Basia%2Bgdp%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1&ei=n6nxSta9IdSHkQXjwcWZBw>.
World Regional Geography//. 2nd ed. McGrawHill, 2004. 283-324. Print.
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